Runway Review

In January, Alexander Wang announced that he was shifting his show schedule away from the traditional September/February model, instead presenting just two collections annually in June and December with additional product drops taking place throughout the year. On Sunday night, he presented his first collection under this new show strategy on the roof of Pier 17, calling it “a new beginning, a new identity and a new day for my brand,” in the show notes.

Though the clothes and attitude behind them still felt relatively familiar, there was something uncharacteristically new about this collection. A son of immigrant parents, Wang took the opportunity to embrace his family’s roots, delving not so much into the world of pop culture and cool kid cliques (his usual starting points) as his own background, a strategy that manifested in paisley pajama tops, flannel pants with the word “Chinatown” written down the side, bejewelled surgical masks and qipaos-style tops.

Elsewhere, he weaved in elements of his American upbringing, hitting on such quintessential all-American style tropes as printed bandanas, destroyed denim, football jerseys, tricked-out leather jackets and even a new high-top Adidas Originals sneaker. Several models even came out onto the runway with stars and stripes face paint designed to coordinate perfectly with their oversized bomber jackets. It was completely out of step with Wang’s M.O., but it was a fresh take on it nonetheless.